Modular Add-On: Mutable Instruments Rings

This product is an expansion for Softube Modular. If you do not currently own Modular, you can purchase it HERE.

A Physical Modeling Phenomenon

Excite a material with some sort of energy input (a slap, a rub, a blow) and you’ll get a noise. The resonant qualities of that material (be it wood, metal, glass; a drum, a trumpet, a buttock), and the way in which you excite it, will determine the qualities of that sound; amongst other things, its timbre, frequency, and length in time. It is this thrilling world of excitation and resonance that concerns the Rings module, originally from Mutable Instruments, and now available in Softube Modular.

Rings uses tuned filters to physically model just about any resonant material imaginable, in three broad categories.

The ‘modal’ resonator emulates the resonant qualities of plates, strings, membranes, and tubes, which reinforce energy fed into them by organizing certain frequencies of sound around certain physical points (called modes) based on their size, shape, and structure.

The ‘sympathetic strings’ model offers the kinds of droning and over-toning sounds and textures offered by instruments such as the sitar. Virtual strings other than the one ‘plucked’ ring in sympathy with the main note.

The ‘modulated/inharmonic string’ model is an extension of Karplus-Strong synthesis, which uses a delay with very high feedback and very short period to synthesize a pitched wave like a string being struck, bowed, or plucked.

In addition to these fascinating and endlessly explorable varieties, Rings offers timbral control of the resulting sound, as well as the ability to excite the resonator models in any way you choose in the first place, either with an internally generated noise burst or with your own external audio signals.

You can even play strummed chords with Rings, due to a built-in polyphony mechanism which generates a new virtual string (up to 4 in total) for every trigger – even while the last note is still ringing.

The range of noises this module is capable of creating is simply staggering, and the joy of feeding different things into it never ends. Grab yours today, and run rings around the sounds you made yesterday!

Features

• The only software version of Rings officially licensed and endorsed by Mutable Instruments
• Three sophisticated resonator models in one module
• ‘Modal’ synthesis imitates vibrating structures
• 'Sympathetic strings’ offers harmonizing drones and overtones
• ‘Modulated/inharmonic string’ model is based on extended Karplus-Strong techniques
• Up to four voices of polyphony, allowing for strummed chords
• Create everything from bells to whistles, and more
• Use in-built noise pulse, or an external audio signal, to excite the resonators
• Requires Modular

System Requirements

• Mac OS X 10.13 up to OS 12 (older OS versions will not work) (64-bit only).
• Windows 10 (older Windows versions may work but are not tested) (Windows 11 Pending) (64-bit only).
• Mac: Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 / Xeon - Full Apple silicon support (M1 or higher).
• Windows: Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 / Xeon / AMD Quad-Core or newer.
• Screen resolution 1280x800 or larger.
• Supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz, in both mono and stereo.
• 8 GB RAM or more is recommended, as well as at least 8 GB hard disk space for installation (individual plug-ins take less space, while sample libraries may require additional disk space).
• A Softube account is required to register and install the software.
• An iLok account is required for authorisation of the software.
• Internet access for downloading installer and managing licenses.
• iLok generation 2 and up, if you intend to use a physical iLok dongle for authorizing your plug-ins (note that an iLok dongle is not a requirement).
• In theory, any 64-bit VST, VST3, AU, or AAX (11.0.2 or higher) compatible host application should work.
• The most recent maintenance release of the DAW application is recommended.

However, due to plug-in host differences between DAWs - and Softube's own rigorous testing standards - Softube only officially test their plug-ins and instruments in the most recent versions of Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Live, Studio One, Digital Performer, Reaper and Sonar. Softube plugins are not tested in the non-listed systems, but they most likely work as long as the system requirements are met.

• Softube Modular is required to run this software.
• Make sure that you always use the latest iLok License Manager. It is not included in the Softube installer but can be downloaded from www.ilok.com​